The Nights The Lights Went On In The Twin Cities
This article was written by Stew Thornley
This article was published in The National Pastime: Baseball in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (2024)
Installing the lights at Lexington Park, St. Paul, in May 1937. (Minnesota Historical Society)
Although one was a pioneer for night games, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul were the last holdouts when it came to baseball under lights in the American Association.
The first night game in the history of the American Association—the minor league in which the Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints played from 1902 through 1960—has been reported as a June 7, 1930, contest at Washington Park in Indianapolis.1 While this may have been the league’s first official game played under artificial lights, it ignores games played in the evening a dozen years earlier in Minneapolis.
FIRST NIGHT GAMES IN THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
The Great War had been underway for several years before it began affecting baseball in the United States. Even after the country’s entry into the war in April 1917, with players becoming subject to the military draft, the game continued. In 1918, however, baseball felt the effects. In Minneapolis, the Millers’ Opening Day crowd was the smallest in their history as many potential fans were fighting in Europe or working long hours in war-related industries. Combined with the Millers losing some of their players to the service and the general uncertainty over the future of the game, owner Mike Cantillon needed to do something drastic to pull in fans. He initiated night baseball in the American Association. There was no artificial lighting, but with the new daylight saving time law in effect, a game in a northern city starting in the early evening could be completed under natural light.
The Millers played their first night game on Friday, May 24, against Toledo, a team managed by former Miller and future Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan. The game started at 6:45PM and, despite a long eighth inning in which Minneapolis scored seven runs on its way to an 11–3 win, the game was played in one hour, 21 minutes, meaning it was finished shortly after 8PM, more than a half hour before sunset.2 A season-high crowd of more than 1,200 was enough for the team to continue the practice during the work week.3 The starting time was moved to 7PM as the days got longer.
The later time was even responsible for a Millers win in June. Complaining of the lack of light, Columbus manager and future Hall of Famer Joe Tinker pulled his team off the field prior to a game on June 19, resulting in a 9–0 forfeit victory for the Millers. “The ‘twilight’ turned to a gloomy gray that cast Manager Joe Tinker of the [Columbus] Senators in the role of a joy killer,” wrote the Minneapolis Journal, adding that Minneapolis manager Joe Cantillon unsuccessfully tried to persuade Tinker to play with an offer of “a case of new white balls to brighten the gloom.”4
The Millers’ last night game was July 12, a 4–4 tie against the Saints that was called on account of darkness after nine innings. The Millers were on the road a week later when baseball was ruled to be a nonessential industry, and the American Association season ended prematurely a few days later. With the armistice that November, baseball resumed in 1919, and the Millers returned to all day games.
This early-evening experiment had been tried earlier by the Virginia (Minnesota) Ore Diggers of the Northern League in 1913. On June 18, Rube Schauer of Superior beat Rube Waddell—a future Hall of Famer in his last professional stop—of Virginia in an “afterdinner game” game that was called on account of darkness after seven innings. The attendance of 350 was less than the management of Virginia had hoped for, given a season average of 500, with over 1,000 in attendance on multiple occasions.5
UNDER THE LIGHTS IN ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS
By 1937, the Millers and Saints were the league’s only teams still playing exclusively day games at home. Finally, they joined the others and put in lights at Lexington Park in St. Paul and Nicollet Park in Minneapolis.
As installation of the equipment began in May, both teams set their night debuts for games in which they would be playing each other on back-to-back evenings in mid-July, first in St. Paul and then in Minneapolis.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press described the arrival of night baseball at Lexington Park as “more of an occasion than the annual opening day, coming for the first time in all the history of baseball in St. Paul.”6
In the Minneapolis Tribune, George Barton wrote, “That the novelty of night baseball has caught the fancy of Minneapolis fandom is demonstrated by the fact that a sellout is assured for the first game to be played under the lights at Nicollet park [sic] Friday night, with the Millers opposing the Saints, following a night game with the St. Paul enemy at Lexington park Thursday.” Barton added that Millers president Mike Kelley planned to have his team play night games on Tuesdays and Thursdays going forward, “although he may add another night occasionally.”7
The lights drew fans like moths. More than 9,000 packed the stands at Lexington Park July 15. Lake City and Mankato brought large delegations, the latter group arriving on a special train.
Before the 8:45 first pitch, an on-field ceremony featured brief addresses by league president George Trautman and president emeritus Thomas J. Hickey, along with St. Paul Mayor Mark Gehan.
Four light bulbs popped during the night, broken by sudden contact with curious June bugs, but the entire production received a nice review, even from the rival city’s newspapers. “The lighting system installed by owners of the St. Paul club impressed the scribes in the press coop [sic] and some 10,000 fans as virtually perfect,” reported the Minneapolis Tribune. “It was a simple matter to follow the course of the ball even in long drives to the outfield.”8
Dick Cullum of the Minneapolis Journal concurred and wrote, “The lighting was far superior to the lighting of most minor league parks.”9
The Millers won the initial night game, 6–1, behind a five-hitter by right-hander Belve Bean, who was credited with this 10th victory of the season and third against St. Paul.10 “The tall Texan has become public enemy No. 1 as far as the Saints are concerned,” wrote Charles Johnson of the Minneapolis Star. “They haven’t beaten him in four tries and their opposition is getting weaker with each start.”11
The game was considered lengthy at 2:14. The Pioneer Press reported that no one minded the long duration since the “night breeze was refreshingly cool.”12
Refreshingly cool turned to downright cold the next night. Along with the sudden drop in temperature came a drizzle that began around 7 and continued until shortly before game time at 8:45. The chilly weather kept the Nicollet Park crowd down to 6,381.
President Trautman again had pregame comments: “I’m going to make the same speech I made over in St. Paul last night. This is the finest night baseball lighting system I’ve ever seen…. Play ball!”13
A cheer greeted the lights, which were not turned on until just before game time because rain was considered to be hard on the bulbs. (One of the bulbs burst in the second inning, bringing a lament from Millers public relations man Fritz Hutchinson, “There goes six bucks.”14)
While the weather was different, one similarity was the lack of Saints hitting. This time, they were shut down by Jim Henry and lost, 4–1.15 Dusty Cooke of Minneapolis hit the only home run. His blast, according to the Pioneer Press, “penetrated the light ceiling and momentarily disappeared from view at the top of its arc before dropping over the right-field fence.”16
Halsey Hall of the Journal summed up the experience with a quotation provided by his friend and fellow columnist Dick Cullum: “The last outpost of baseball civilization has now gone barbarian.” Cullum made sure to point out that the lovable Hall—who would have a Society for American Baseball Research chapter named after him nearly 50 years later—had expressed his sentiments in a loving fashion and that he was all for baseball under the lights.17
STEW THORNLEY—who is related by marriage to another author in this publication—has been a SABR member since 1979.
THE NIGHT THE HOUSE OF DAVID LIT UP NICOLLET PARK
Artificial lights had appeared in the Twin Cities before 1937. The House of David baseball team carted portable lighting equipment, rented from the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League. on barnstorming tours.18 One such tour passed through Minneapolis on Monday, June 29, 1931, for a game against the Millers.19 As the Millers prepared for a regular-season game that afternoon against Kansas City, the Davids rolled in from southern Minnesota in automobiles, along with seven large trucks carrying the portable lights.
The House of David included shortstop Dutch Faust and first baseman Bill Hickman, who reportedly had been offered major-league contracts but declined because it would have meant shaving their beards, a trademark of the team.20 The main attraction on the House of David was Grover Cleveland “Pete” Alexander, who had last pitched in the majors 13 months before. Alexander said he intended to pitch the entire game against the Millers. He had pitched sparingly over the last two weeks, saving his arm for the Millers.21
The rest didn’t help, according to Halsey Hall of the Minneapolis Journal, who provided a blunt report: “Grover Alexander was a pathetic figure as he was hammered and harried but he pitched five innings and was ahead all the way.”22 Alexander allowed 10 hits and seven runs through five innings, but his mates had already garnered 10 runs, seven off rookie right-hander Hy Vandenberg, who had attended high school not far from Nicollet Park. Vandenberg, who started and worked three innings, later pitched in parts of seven seasons in the majors, including three games in the 1945 World Series for the Chicago Cubs.
Alexander was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the sixth, when the Davids scored eight runs; they added six more in the ninth for a 24–12 win.
The game began at 8:30 PM and wrapped up barely an hour before midnight. Approximately 6,000 fans attended, with most staying for it all. Many of the Millers were gone, having played at 3 and then hung around for the night game. Shortstop Ernie Smith played the entire game for Minneapolis, but most of the regulars were relieved by local semipro players, whose outfielders dropped several fly balls that prolonged the rallies of the bearded men.23 The regulars who started and played a few innings included left fielder Bob Meusel, third baseman Chuck Dressen, and right fielder Charlie High.
Hall noted that the House of David portable lights were built for small parks and that they resulted in center field doing “a very good imitation of a coal-hole last night. It was a good tunnel and [center fielder] Bernie Neis staggered around as best he could what with watching his step to keep from breaking his neck against a truck and over guy-wires.
“It was somewhat weird but it was fun.” Hall added, “You are requested not to judge all night baseball by those lights.”24
Notes
1 W. Blaine Patton, “5,000 Fans Thrilled at First Night Game,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, June 8, 1930, 1.
2 “Twilight Games Plan Is Adopted by Club Owners,” Minneapolis Journal, May 25, 1918, 5; “Millers Slug Out Twilight Victory,” Minneapolis Journal, May 25, 1918, 5.
3 Fred R. Coburn, “Twilight Baseball Makes Big Hit Here; All Games at Night,” Minneapolis Tribune, May 25, 1918, 5.
4 “Columbus Forfeits 9–0 Game to Millers,” Minneapolis Journal, June 20, 1918, 19.
5 “Schauer Whiffs 10 Men in Seven Frames and Defeats Virginia,” Duluth News Tribune, Thursday, June 19, 1913, 10. Attendance figures provided by Rich Arpi.
6 Gordon Gilmore, “9,216 See Kels Take Night Opener, 6 to 1,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 16, 1937, 11. The Millers were often called the Kels because of owner/president Mike Kelley.
7 George Barton’s Sportographs, Minneapolis Tribune, July 15, 1937, 16.
8 “Cox to Oppose Henry Tonight,” Minneapolis Tribune, July 16, 1937, 21.
9 “Says Dick Cullum,” Minneapolis Journal, July 16, 1937, 17.
10 George A. Barton, “Bean Stops Saints as Kels Win, 6 to 1,” Minneapolis Tribune, July 16, 1937, 21
11 Charles Johnson, “Bean Becomes Public Enemy No. 1 to Saints,” Minneapolis Star, July 16, 1937, 19.
12 Gilmore, “9,216 See Kels Take Night Opener, 6 to 1.”
13 Bob Beebe, “’Morning Sir…” Minneapolis Tribune, July 17, 1937, 17.
14 Halsey Hall, “James Henry Is Named Top Storm Weatherer,” Minneapolis Journal, July 17, 1937, 7.
15 Barton, “Kels Beat Saints, 4–1; Win 1937 Rivalry,” Minneapolis Tribune, July 17, 1937, 13.
16 Gilmore, “Kels Win, 4 to 1, for Inter-City Title,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 17, 1937, 6.
17 “Says Dick Cullum,” Minneapolis Journal, July 17, 1937, 5.
18 David Pietrusza, Lights On! The Wild Century-Long Saga of Night Baseball (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press), 1997, 64–65.
19 The House of David had a pair of games against a Northern Pacific railroad team in St. Paul earlier in the month, but this was its first scheduled game in Minneapolis.
20 “Millers and Davids Play Under Floodlights Tonight,” Minneapolis Tribune, June 29, 1931, 11.
21 “Millers and Davids.”
22 Halsey Hall, “Koenecke Within Two of All-Time Total-Base Mark,” Minneapolis Journal, June 30, 1931, 25; “6,000 See Alex Defeat Millers,” Minneapolis Star, June 30, 1931, 14.
23 “Davids Take 24–12 Tilt from Millers,” Minneapolis Tribune, June 30, 1931, 16.
24 Hall, “Koenecke Within Two.”